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Safeguard confidentiality of orphaned adoption files: Your letters

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Nearly 50 boxes filled with files of adopted children are stored in the basement of lawyer Robert Lahm's office building in Syracuse. They're left over from the dissolved New Life Adoption Agency, and no one from the agency, the government or other adoption agency will take them. Lahm is offering to get them distributed himself by making a public appeal. At left is Lahm's dachshund Cooper on the boxes.
(Michelle Gabel | mgabel@syracuse.com)

I am writing in response to John O'Brien's article, "Adoptees have homes; their files can't find one," published Sept. 19, out of concern of those individuals in which these files contain crucial information. It is important to keep these records confidential out of respect for the birth parents' and the adopted parents' agreement at the time of the adoption. However, it seems inconsiderate to get rid of these documents without giving the adopted individuals a chance to discover their biological parents.

Another important piece of information in those files, along with the identity of the birth parents, is the medical records of the adoptee's biological family. To have knowledge of a certain hereditary illness that exists in your genetic make-up could potentially save your life.

Psychological research also shows the importance of knowing where you came from in discovering and creating your own sense of self. It seems unfair that this group of individuals may never get that opportunity because of something that was out of their control.

If the issue is mainly space, perhaps the records could be transferred to a computer system that another agency would have access to. Although I believe Robert Lahm is doing the right thing by allowing adopted parents to collect the files on their child, I don't think it should stop there. The remaining files should be kept in case there are instances in the future where the information in these files would be desired.